I wonder if Nintendo would be doing any better if they just opted for a souped up Wii remote as the standard Wii U controller, with the cost of the pad shaved off they could have bumped the console hardware and launched at a lower price point.

Had decision makers come to the conclusion that the Wii Remote was a dead end? Did they decide that the compromises required for Skyward Sword were too limiting and the controller wasn't a good fit for a broader range of software?

They must have had some valid reason to retreat back to a gamepad which made perfect sense to somebody at the time, the flaw in the plan is that they've probably made the most expensive gamepad in the history of the World. So you have a controller which would fit with a luxury market ethos, married to a value brand, bargain basement console.

Nintendo must have a pretty autocratic management structure because it's hard to believe nobody had misgivings.